From terrariums to the landscape, succulents are in fashion

Roxie Esterle and her husband, Jim, have been collecting succulents for more than 30 years. But their collection really took off about seven years ago when the couple joined the Los Angeles Cactus and Succulent Society.

“Then we really went nuts,” says the retired science teacher, who also is a past president of the organization.

With their unusual forms, blossoms and sheer diversity, succulents have become fashionable in recent years across the country. Especially in drought-stricken Southern California, where succulents can be seen in waterwise landscapes, dripping from raised containers in patios and creating a splash on tabletop centerpieces indoors.

“I’d like to think people are getting into them for their aesthetic traits and not because they’d rather have marigolds and petunias, but they’re settling for succulents because we’re in a dry spell,” says Matt Maggio, a Van Nuys-based landscape designer and horticulturist — in the process of relocating to San Diego County to build a nursery — who has professionally benefited from the jump in popularity.

Walking through the lush garden that meanders around Esterle’s 1928 Spanish-style home in Encino, she calls out these genera and their species by name, including the occasional “mutant.”

A succulent by definition is a plant that stores water in its stems, leaves or roots.

From cacti to bromeliads, common Haworthias to the rare Aloe framesii, these succulents grow in the ground or in natural colored pottery around the garden and pool. Esterle waters and feeds most of her succulents by hand.

That succulents are easy to care for is misleading. Esterle admits she’s killed her fair share of plants over the years by overwatering them and in one case, arranging them in a bowl with incompatible succulents.

Most succulents grow either in the cool or warm seasons. Some grow in October until April when they go dormant. Warm season plants go dormant in October.

Watering should only be done when the plants are actively growing, says Maggio, who creates succulent installations and container gardens for private clients and in the gardens of Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar.

Creating an arrangement in a container is different from putting succulents in the landscape, where drainage is better.

A potted succulent requires more porous soil from what is used in the ground for the same plants. Bagged cactus mix sold at stores can be too organically rich for most succulent plants, Maggio says, but adds it’s still usable with extra pumice.

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Two parts cactus mix for every one part pumice is all it takes to properly aerate and drain the soil.

“They’re so tolerant, that they can live in the plant arrangement for a while, so they’re very versatile,” says Chapman, founder and principal designer of Lila B. Design in San Francisco. “They can be inside, they can be outside, they can be set on top of a plate for a while — and they’ll live.”

For more longevity, Maggio suggests plants with shallow roots or those that tend to rot faster be planted in a containers that are low or unglazed. Plants with leggy roots and those that require more water do better in deep containers made of glazed ceramic, fiberglass or plaster.

Watering and feeding schedules will vary because each succulent’s demands change throughout the season.

“I don’t like to keep the mix wet all the time — you want to let the surface dry out a little bit before you water again,” Maggio says. “Conversely, you don’t want it to get bone dry or you’ll stress the plant. When a plant is water-stressed, it’s going to be dull looking, soft and malleable. When it’s well watered, it’s going to be plump, shiny and firm.”

Finishing the surface off with rocks can help control weeds and moisture, and regulate soil temperature.

“When you have a thin material like plastic or fiberglass, it can get really hot on the sunny side of the pot and you get a lot of root dieback,” he says. “To remedy that, I will line the inner surface of the sunny side of the pot with large bubble wrap before I plant the plants and fill it with mix.

“That provides an insulated layer to oderate temperature and also prevents the plant from becoming root bound the next time you have to tip it over, pull out the plant and re-pot it.”

It’s also advised to offer succulents some afternoon shade since heat and sun can be detrimental. In their natural habitats, succulents often escape the elements by hiding in the shade of larger plants or rock crevices.